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IOM Vision
IOM will support Sudan and neighbouring countries to ensure dignity, safety and protection of conflict-affected populations, and mitigate regional impacts of the crisis. IOM will support the people and Governments of Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia, Egypt, Libya and the Central African Republic in managing the mobility dimensions of crises, including the prevention of, and sustainable solutions to, displacement, and to assist affected migrants, returnees and host communities. IOM works across the nexus, applying a conflict sensitive lens to provide multisectoral humanitarian assistance to people in emergencies while simultaneously promoting disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness and resilience-building.
Context analysis
The conflict that broke out on 15 April 2023 between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Force (SAF) continues to have devastating consequences for millions of civilians in Sudan, with 24.8 million people estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance by December 2024 (Sudan HRP 2024).
Sudan has become the largest displacement crisis in the world. As of March 2024, IOM estimates that Sudan hosts more than 8.3 million internally displaced individuals, with 6.4 million having been recently displaced by the conflict, in addition to almost 1 million refugees who had been living in Sudan prior to the April 2023 conflict (IOM DTM, March 2024).
A severe humanitarian crisis has also unfolded in neighbouring countries, which, as of March 2024, are hosting over 1.9 million people who fled Sudan in search of safety and access to goods and basic essential services. Of these, 63 per cent are Sudanese nationals and 37 per cent are of other nationalities (IOM DTM, March 2024). The majority of arrivals were reported in Chad (37%), South Sudan (31%) and Egypt (25%), and in areas that are often remote and underserved. If fighting continues, it is estimated that over 3.2 million refugees and migrants affected by the crisis in Sudan may require life-saving assistance across Sudan's neighbouring countries throughout 2024, a 50 per cent increase in the population in need projected for December 2023.
Furthermore, the people in Sudan and those fleeing to neighbouring countries are facing a protection crisis, with women, girls, and vulnerable men and boys experiencing the worst consequences. Violations and needs such as family separation, alerts of trafficking, conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and other forms of gender-based violence (GBV), have put significant strains on existing weak protection structures with limited services available.
The complex humanitarian situation and the mixed nature of the movements out of Sudan call for a contextually relevant and needs-based response driven by strong coordination efforts within countries, regionally and internationally with relevant entities in countries of origin. It also calls for decentralization and localization of interventions underpinned by conflict sensitivity analysis to provide humanitarian assistance to those most in need, including in hard-to-reach areas. Continuing IOM's work in 2023, IOM's Crisis Response Plan (CRP) for the Sudan Crisis and Neighbouring Countries 2024 contributes to addressing the humanitarian needs inside Sudan and the complexities of a mixed movements response that is inclusive of the needs of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), migrant returnees, Third Country Nationals (TCNs), host communities, refugees and Government entities responding to the crisis.